Jakku May Be The Key Behind Episode VIII

One of the most exciting past times us Star Wars fans engage in is the act of theorizing. We’ve been finding ourselves doing a lot of theorizing as we await more news about the Episode VIII film. What could possibly happen in the next installment? Where do answers lie that will reveal to us any plot points or references for the next film?

One possible theory, presented by Jarvis Reddick from Movie Pilot, is that the answer lies within the newest novel Star Wars Aftermath: Life Debt. In this next installment in the canon book series, it is revealed that Jakku has more significance than what we’ve come to believe since our introduction to the planet in Episode VII.

Why is Jakku so important? What makes it so special? Isn’t it just another desert planet?

As Jarvis writes, Jakku has made a frequent appearance in the new official canon books, comics, and video games. This differentiates its importance in our eyes in comparison to its sister desert plant Tatooine. And, another difference between the planets, Darth Sidious (Palpatine) has had plans for the planet Jakku for awhile now.

There are hints to Darth Sidious’ obsession with the planet throughout the new Star Wars canon novels. We all know from both the movies and the films that he is constantly plotting and maneuvering his way around so that his plans come to fruition. Oftentimes his plans are connected to the Force, more specifically allowing the Dark Side to flourish and conquer everything around it successfully. We see evidence of these plans in Star Wars Aftermath: Life Debt.

I’m going to mention some spoilers. You’ve been warned.

In the novel, Darth Sidious is dead. The empire is in the middle of retreating from the New Republic. As we all know, eventually, these two forces will come to a head and will lead into the Battle of Jakku at some point. Throughout the novel, however, we get glimpses of the importance surrounding Jakku. Before Palpatine became Darth Sidious, he showed an invested interest in Jakku. It is mentioned that there is a very significant artifact somewhere on the planet of Jakku, which is a very large planet. Unfortunately, Darth Sidious dies before the artifact is discovered.

Jakku’s appearance in Episode VII cannot be a coincidence after this information has been revealed. Rey being placed on the planet and growing up to scavenge things on the planet cannot be a coincidence either. In fact, one of the main sources of income on the planet is through scavenging, which makes me think there is an ulterior motive behind the scavenging.

Since we’re going to have to figure out eventually why Rey has been placed on the planet of Jakku, we may be able to see an established connection to the planet in Episode VIII. Until then, it looks like we’re going to have to keep relying on the new canon novels to fill in the blanks for us until the new movie is released.

Do you think this theory has merit? That Jakku has a bigger picture to play in the upcoming Episode VIII? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.